Generally, an electrical connector includes some form of insulative or dielectric housing which mounts one or more conductive terminals. The housing is configured for mating with a complementary mating connector or other connecting device which, itself, has one or more conductive terminals. A connector assembly typically includes a pair of mating connectors, such as plug and receptacle connectors sometimes called male and female connectors. The interengaging terminals of the connectors, themselves, may be male and female terminals.
One type of electrical connector is a power connector which mounts one or more power terminals. With the ever-increasing density of components used in electronic packaging, electrical power connectors often are needed to carry high current between a circuit board and a complementary mating connector or other connecting device, or between a circuit board and a complementary mating connector or other connecting device, or between one circuit board and another circuit board. A typical power connector may be a female or receptacle connector designed to receive a power terminal blade or a bus bar of a power or blade connector. The current is distributed from the blade terminal to various circuit traces on a circuit board, for instance.
Power or blade connectors of the prior art are not designed to carry a variety of voltages and currents in a small low profile connection which can be made inexpensively. The present invention is directed to satisfying these needs and solving the problems of the prior art.